TNT wins using its 'Leverage'

COMMENTARY - Page 2: First Thoughts

The timely thriller Leverage prompts an urgent question: How do you hire Nate Ford?

Ford, a modern-day Robin Hood, leads a team that takes on corporate villains, war profiteers and corrupt congressmen. Ford arrives at 10 tonight on TNT, then moves to 10 p.m. Tuesday.

The show's rousing premiere unfolds like a comical Mission: Impossible as Ford, a former insurance investigator, pulls together his team of thieves. Director Dean Devlin keeps the opener fast-moving, flashy and fun.

Then Leverage does the unexpected: It reveals a heart Tuesday. The team scurries to help a reservist, injured in Iraq, who needs medical help. Ford's group takes on powerful opponents, arranges nifty twists and becomes a force for change.

"The world doesn't work this way," an observer says. "So change the world," Ford shoots back.

I love this show. The premiere hints at tragedy in Ford's past, but wisely doesn't linger on it. Ford must play parent to his colorful cohorts: wisecracking Alec Hardison (Aldis Hodge), macho nerd Eliot Spencer (Christian Kane) and athletic beauty Parker (Beth Riesgraf). The cast tackles its roles with broad comedy and sheer delight. The arrival of Sophie Deveraux (terrific Gina Bellman) energizes the premiere. Sophie is a terrible actress yet a superb con artist, and she enchants Ford.

John Rogers and Chris Downey have created a show that's equally smart and diverting. The opener tells a twisty plot about stolen airplane designs.

Yet the characters are the main attraction. Hutton looks downright haggard at the start. Ford is weighed down by the past and his role as team leader. Then Hutton turns dashing and depicts Ford as being reawakened by a new challenge.

You'll understand that feeling. Along with HBO's True Blood and CBS' The Mentalist, Leverage is one of fall's new best bets. The world needs Nate Ford.